Why Catholics Didn’t Go to Public School “Back Then” And Probably Shouldn’t Now

As I said on Saturday when I shared More Reasons to Avoid Public Education, 'Why would any Catholic parents subject their children to an atheistic, anti-Christian education, which is all they will receive in a public school?'

From Those Catholic Men

By Bob Sullivan 

Catholic schools have been part of the American experience, possibly since 1606, when Franciscans landed with the explorers at St. Augustine, Florida, but not always this country’s public education.  And there’s a reason why.

Prior to the mid-1800’s, there was no nationwide public education system in the United States. New England had a fairly developed public school system by 1850, but schools in the rest of the country were less developed, and many cities and towns had no public school at all.

Until the mid-1800’s, most Americans with money, authority, influence, and power, were non-Catholic Christians, and in New England, they were usually Puritans. Puritans were Protestants (specifically Calvinists) who thought the Church of England had retained far too many Catholic practices and beliefs when it separated from the Catholic Church in 1529. However, the Puritans’ efforts of purifying the Church of England were not as successful as they desired. Therefore, scores of Puritan ships departed for the New World with the specific intent of establishing a pure faith which was totally free of any and all things Catholic.

The Puritans landed in New England and began to set up their “city on a hill” or “New Israel”. Since a central tenet of their faith was ridding the world of Catholicism, their laws included numerous prohibitions against Catholics and Catholicism, including the death penalty for priests, prohibition from elected office, additional taxes for Catholics, and other provisions which effectively prohibited Catholics from living in New England at the time.

The Puritans were also very attentive to the education of their youth, therefore, they set up a fairly organized school system, which was run by Puritans, for Puritans, especially the children of successful Puritans. While they did allow non-Puritan students to attend their schools (the only schools in New England at the time), spots were limited, advancement was not guaranteed, and no Catholics were allowed, at least not knowingly.

Then came a man by the name of Horace Mann. Mann had grown up in a strict and dour version of the Puritan faith, then converted to Unitarianism as an adult. Mann became interested in reforming the school system in Massachusetts. He was wildly successful, and his ideas ended up spreading across the country. He is now considered the father of the American public education system.

Mann’s education reform included the requirement that all children attend school and that the curriculum included instruction on the Bible. However, being a Unitarian who did not believe the Bible to be inerrant, he established a non-sectarian approach to Bible instruction. In other words, he focused on the things on which all or most Christians agreed, and avoided the parts of the Bible where various denominations disagreed.

In essence, Mann reformed the American culture by designing a school system to which every American youth was required to attend. In addition to a cursory religious education, students were taught to be upstanding moral citizens and hard workers. The result was that the state took over the primary role of educating all children and that education expanded beyond reading, writing and arithmetic to religion and morals.

When the Catholic bishops saw that this was going to harm faith and families, they quickly concluded that it was time for a large Catholic school system as well. At that time the Bishops put faith before any worldly advancement or ideas of assimilation, because to err at such a young age in faith could have eternal consequences.

This became even more urgent as millions of Catholic Irish and Italian immigrants began to pour into the country due to conditions in Europe such as the Irish potato famine as well as other political and economic conditions in Europe at the time. The immigrants entering the U.S. in the mid to late 1800’s were mostly Catholic, and almost all of them were also very poor and uneducated. They would have been very susceptible to leaving the Catholic faith in a Protestant culture which still looked down on Catholicism and which ran a school system which was designed to assimilate children into a Protestant culture.

Mann’s model still prevails in the public education system in the U.S. However, the U.S. is no longer Protestant, nor is it Christian. In fact, many public school administrators and boards fear lawsuits and public outcry so much, they often suppress Christianity in their school and give preferential treatment to LGBT groups, atheists, radical feminism, and other ideologies which conflict with Christianity. When a Christian or a Christian group attempts to challenge a school administration’s discrimination against a Christian, people often use fear of Satanic clubs and groups as justification: “If we allow you to use school property for your Christian activity, we’ll have to allow the use of our property for Satanist clubs.”

This brings us to the reason why Catholic schools are the perfect answer to today’s problems. Catholic schools were designed to keep parents in the role of primary educator of their children with regard to faith and morals, to support the family, and to avoid the loss of the Catholic faith through assimilation into the Protestant melting pot of American culture. All of these purposes are still highly relevant, though the melting pot is no longer Protestant, it is now mostly pagan. In reality, Satan is already alive and well in many public schools.

Unfortunately, many Catholic schools struggle to deliver an authentic and faithful Catholic experience these days. However, this is not necessarily the fault of the school. I believe it is usually the result of the lack of the authentic living out of the faith by Catholic parents and families who send their children to that Catholic school. The school’s decline in its ability to, or interest in, transmitting the faith, is usually the result of years of apathy within the homes and lives of the individual Catholics associated with the school. How can we expect a school to teach, practice, and inspire, the authentic practice of the Catholic faith, if we ourselves, are not living the faith out in our homes? When a certain percentage of families are not living the faith in their private lives, it will naturally impact the school. In the same way, when a certain percentage of families are living their faith authentically, it will positively impact the school.

The key is to be the primary educator of your own child (especially fathers) with regard to faith and morals, which of course presumes that you are living the faith and actually know why we believe what we believe. Therefore, if you need a little catechesis and deepening of your faith, now is the time to do that. The bottom line is this: The school should only be in a supportive role to the parent. We cannot hand this obligation over to any outside entity or individual (including our wives) and expect good results.

For some of us, this means that we have to homeschool our children. Homeschooling is perfectly compatible with the Catholic faith. As a matter of fact, prior to about 1850, nearly every Catholic child was homeschooled in the U.S., because Catholics were either excluded from schools or no school existed.

The purpose of this article is not to claim that you must send your Catholic child to a Catholic school. Nor is it to encourage homeschooling. The purpose is to show a little about the reason we have Catholic schools, how we should approach Catholic education as parents, and thereby encourage a new perspective on how to reform Catholic education in your parish or community so there is absolutely no reason not to send your child to a Catholic school.

We are not there yet, but we need to be there, and we can get there. The way we get there is by deepening our faith as parents and by living our faith as families. When we assume our role as the primary educator of our children, Catholic school education will work as it is designed, and it will work well. At that point, the only question will be: Do we send our kids to Catholic school, or do we homeschool? Public education will be out of the question unless the parents live in a location where no Catholic school exists, and they are not capable of homeschooling for one reason or another.

Crackdown on Christianity in Jilin: Over 100 Church Crosses Removed

Francis's pals' hatred for Christ is so great that they persecute even the state approved churches.

From Bitter Winter 

By Wu Haiping

Clergy and congregation members from state-approved and house churches alike worry that the persecution of Christianity is only going to escalate.

Of the more than 100 reported cases of cross removals from state-approved Three-Self and unofficial house churches in the northeastern province of Jilin, 54 occurred in Changchun city and 38 in Yushu city. Some house church meeting venues were shut down after the removal of crosses. However, this represents only a small fraction of all the recent instances of forced cross removals.

Crosses were dismantled from over a hundred Christian meeting venues in Jilin Province.

  “If we didn’t remove the cross, the meeting venue would be shut down, so we had no choice but to compromise,” said a co-worker at a Three-Self church meeting venue in Qian Gorlos county under the jurisdiction of Songyuan city.

A Three-Self church preacher from Dongfeng county, under the jurisdiction of Liaoyuan city, commented on the large-scale campaign of cross removal, saying, “When Jesus did His work, people believed in Him and did not believe the earthly monarchs. They were persecuted as a result. The same situation is happening now. Xi Jinpingbelieves that he is the king of China.” The preacher thinks that by saying that crosses are too high, the authorities mean that there are too many Christians in China, and this is unacceptable to President Xi.

According to the person in charge of a house church meeting venue in Songyuan city, the local government sealed off the church and dismantled its cross under the pretext of “cleaning up gang crime and eliminating evil” – a popular excuse to crack down on the religious.

When shutting down some meeting venues, government officials claimed that house churches without a permit is a xie jiao, and that all such venues must be shut down. However, as Bitter Winter has repeatedly reported, many house churches have applied for a permit for several years without ever receiving it.

In some localities, the order to dismantle crosses was issued by the local Two Chinese Christian Councils. “Since participating in studies on the ‘sinicization’ of Christianity, I discovered that the Two Chinese Christian Councils have never done anything useful and have never coordinated anything between the government and Christians,” commented a co-worker at a Three-Self church in Changchun city. At the very least, they haven’t even resolved the Bible copyright issue. They haven’t done any substantive work at all, nor have they protected us. Instead, they continue to betray us. Actually, they are the CCP’s mouthpiece and lackey; they are simply put on display for foreigners to see. In the future, we don’t want to deal with them anymore, and we’re prepared to transfer to the underground churches at any time.”

Other house church congregation members are concerned about future developments of Christianity in China. A Sunday school teacher from a house church in Changchun city said that she didn’t want to believe the people who said that Jilin will soon experience the same level of persecution against the Christians as in the central province of Henan. Because of the high concentration of Christians, anti-religious campaigns there are particularly severe. As an example, more than 300 religious venues had their crosses removed, and 410 Christian meeting venues were shut down in Henan’s Xinxiang city alone last year.

“I never expected that it would happen here so soon,” the teacher said. “The situation is dire now; the state’s religious persecution is becoming increasingly severe; it is going to get worse and worse.”

A Three-Self pastor from Changchun city fears that the government will impose mandatory constraints on house churches. “Either they merge with the Three-Self Church, or they will be shut down. In one area in Henan, there were originally 80 clergy members, and now, that number has been reduced to eight; even Three-Self churches are being torn down. When they told me about this, I was shocked. This is too ruthless. I feel that these things aren’t far from us either.”

The persons in charge of some Three-Self churches also think that the CCP’s control over their churches will become increasingly severe. They are prepared to transfer to the underground Church at any time. “Now, they’re starting to use various means on a step-by-step basis to shut down these unlicensed churches and meeting venues, merge the small ones that are of insufficient scale with the Three-Self Church, and then slowly eliminate them through assimilation. In the end, regardless of whether you have relevant permits, your church or venue will be shut down. Even the situation of Three-Self churches doesn’t look very hopeful,” said one Three-Self pastor.

The concerns of these clergy members are not unfounded. At the same time as the government is dismantling crosses, it has also commenced work to investigate and scrutinize churches.

“How many people are there in the church, how much land the church occupies, the building’s ownership, the form of activities that it holds, the identity and background of clergy members—all of these have been investigated,” a co-worker at a Three-Self church said worriedly. “We’re the first ones to suffer a crackdown.”

Another house church preacher said, “The Communist Party says the reason for imposing control over the church is out of fear that people will oppose its regime. In fact, Christians will never revolt. One should never try to reason with an unreasonable person. The Communist Party is digging its own grave now. No other political party is like it.”

The Catechism of the Summa - XIV. OF THE VEGETATIVE AND SENSITIVE POWERS (A&B))

(A)

Are there in the soul divers powers corresponding to the divers acts it produces?

Yes, with the only exception of the first perfection which the soul gives to the body, namely, existence; but it gives this not through some power or faculty, but immediately, of itself (LXXVII.).

What powers of the soul give life to the body?

The vegetative powers.

What are these powers? 

They are three in number, viz., the power of nutrition, of growth, and of reproduction (LXX VIII. 2).

(B) 

What faculties of the soul give sense to the body?

The sensitive powers.

What are these powers?

They are twofold: the powers of knowing and the powers of loving.

What are the sensitive powers through which the body knows?

The five external senses (LXXVIII.3).

What are these powers called?

They are called the powers of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching.

And the five external senses, what are they called?

They are called sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch (ibid.).

Are there also any internal sensitive powers of knowing that do not appear externally?

Yes, they are the common (or central) sense, the imagination, instinct (or estimative sense), and memory (LXXVIII.4)

Next - The Catechism of the Summa - XV. OF THE MIND AND ITS ACT OF UNDERSTANDING

Pegues OP, R P Thomas. Catechism of the "Summa Theologica" of Saint Thomas Aquinas for the Use of the Faithful (pp. 65-67). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition.

Fuzhou Catholics Pressured with Force to Join Patriotic Association

The new era of the Church in China that Francis's betrayal brought, an era of increased repression and persecution.

From Bitter Winter 

By An Xin

Amid raids and crackdowns, clergy and congregations of what used to be Underground Catholic Church are continuing to resist being governed by the state.

The Archdiocese of Fuzhou in the southeastern province of Fujian continues to suffer severe persecution, as the central religious work inspection team conducts investigations. To put things in order before the visit by their superiors, local authorities in the province’s capital Fuzhou carried out a series of crackdown operations against the churches and meeting venues that refuse to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA) and their clergy.

Ever since the signing of the Vatican-China deal of 2018, the CCP interpreted the agreement that all Underground Church priests must join the Patriotic Church and were persecuting those who refused to do so. According to the new Vatican guidelines, issued on June 28, the clergy who once belonged to the Underground Church can join the Patriotic Catholic Church, but the Holy See does not compel them to do it. Many still refuse to turn patriotic, choosing the life of conscientious objectors.

Church ransacked for refusing to obey

On May 19, a Catholic meeting venue on the ninth floor of a building in Dongjiekou area of Fuzhou city was taken over, as the deputy director of the city’s Gulou district led more than 100 personnel to the site. Everyone who came to the venue at the time was intercepted, questioned, and photographed. The officials said that because the venue is not part of the Patriotic Association, it is unapproved, and members of the congregation should join it if they want to continue practicing their faith.

Five days later, over 20 personnel were sent to the meeting venue to demolish some walls because official claimed that they were obstructing the fire escape passage. Doors, parts of the ceiling, wall cabinets, and walls of the suite where nuns resided have been destroyed.

Urban management officers at the scene supervised the demolition and took pictures of the process, claiming that the photos will be submitted to the United Front Work Department and the Religious Affairs Bureau as part of their demolition report.

The once clean and tidy meeting venue has become an utter mess. The shocked believers didn’t know what to do: some were praying, while others wept in sorrow.

“They said that the venue hadn’t been approved and thus was illegal, demanding us to go Ximen Church that belongs to the CPCA. The reason for not allowing the priest to hold the mass is that they want to control our church,” said one of the churchgoers.

Every Sunday since then, police and plainclothes officers guard the entrance to the building of the meeting venue, preventing believers from holding gatherings. More than 1,000 members of the congregation now meet in smaller groups; to avoid being monitored through mobile phones, churchgoers notify each other in person, at the last possible moment, about the time and location of next meeting.

“CPCA’s doctrine is completely different from ours. Once we join it, the government’s aim is achieved. After that, there is no way to negotiate. We must never join!” said the churchgoer.

Local officials ordered to collect information on churches

To cater to inspections by the central government, the authorities of Pingtan county, under the administration of Fuzhou, ordered religious work liaison officers in each village to report back with the information on Catholic churches that have not joined the CPCA, their priests, and persons in charge. Threatened with consequences, the officers were eager to collect as much information as possible, so some even secretly snuck into churches to obtain it.

A churchgoer in the county told Bitter Winter that in the evening of June 1, personnel from the neighborhood committee came to one of the churches in the area and took photos of the mass in progress that were later forwarded to the local police station. The officials found out about the mass although the windows were covered with blackout curtains, and members of the congregation were very quiet.

As soon as the mass ended, a dozen or so officials and police officers intercepted the priest. The committee secretary ordered him to shut down the venue. “There is nothing that the government wants to do that it can’t. Forced demolition and relocation is not easy, but it has been done. If you don’t agree, we will take any action that we wish,” threatened the secretary.

The following day, another Catholic meeting venue in the county was raided. “All the meeting venues that are not part of the Patriotic Association in the county have stopped holding gatherings; you’re the only ones who haven’t,” claimed the officials at the site. “If you continue, we will order the Law Enforcement Bureau to tear the venue down tomorrow.” And the meeting venue was shut down.

As the campaign to shut down unofficial Catholic churches is intensifying, the Fujian government is also demanding the clergy to sign statements of commitment, as reported by AsiaNews. The requirement includes the pledge to continuously work against foreign infiltration and support the ban on minors going to church and receiving religious education, as well as promising to not evangelize without proper state-issued permits.

Church Militant Headlines—July 1, 2019

Steubenville will host Stupich, Malone stifles abuse victim, Canadian Bishops pull Tommy Rosica's books, IKEA fires Catholic for being faithful.

Preparing for Jesus

Fr. Giles speaks on the Eucharist during the “Day With Mary” held at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Rockingham, Western Australia on 5 December 2015.

The Vortex — Being Mean to Sheen

Michael Voris discusses Cheesehead Dolan's despicable behaviour in the case of the Venerable Archbishop Sheen.

Catechism of St Pius X - The Lord's Prayer, The Fourth Petition

The Fourth Petition 

23 Q. What do we ask in the Fourth Petition: Give us this day our daily bread?

A. In the Fourth Petition we beg of God all that is daily necessary for soul and body.

24 Q. What do we ask of God for our soul?

A. For our soul we ask of God the sustenance of our spiritual life, that is, we pray the Lord to give us His grace of which we stand in continual need.

25 Q. How is the life of the soul nourished?

A. The life of the soul is nourished principally by the food of the word of God and by the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. 26 Q.

What do we ask of God for our body?

A. For the body we ask all that is necessary for the sustainment of our temporal life.

27 Q. Why do we say: Give us this day our daily bread, rather than: Give us bread this day?

A. We say: Give us this day our daily bread, rather than: Give us bread this day, to exclude all desire of what is another's; and hence we beg the Lord to help us in acquiring just and lawful gains, so that we may procure our maintenance by our own toil And without theft or fraud.

28 Q. Why do we say: Give us bread, and not: Give me bread?

A. We say: Give us, rather than, Give me, to remind us that as everything comes from God, so if He gives us His gifts in abundance, He does it in order that we may share what we do not need with the poor.

29 Q. Why do we add: Daily?

A. We add, Daily, because we should desire that which is necessary to life, and not an abundance of food and other goods of the earth.

30 Q. What more does Daily signify in the Fourth Petition?

A. The word Daily signifies that we should not be too solicitous regarding the future, but that we should simply ask what we need at present.

(Tomorrow, The Lord's Prayer - The Fifth Petition)

Pius X, Pope St.. Catholic Catechism of Saint Pius X (1908) (pp. 48-49). Kindle Edition.

Word of the Day: Waldenses

WALDENSES. A sect that arose in France in the twelfth century. Its name is derived from Peter Waldo (Pierre Valdez) of Lyons, who died in 1217. He took a vow of poverty and soon gathered a large following, mainly of persons who were scandalised at the pomp and wealth of the medieval Church. From protests against luxury they attacked Catholic doctrine: rejecting the authority of the Pope, denying Purgatory, claiming that laymen could absolve, and saying that sinful priests could not validly offer Mass or administer sacraments. Condemned by Pope Lucius III in 1184, they became a threat to civil order and were opposed by political rulers. They were among the principal forerunners of the Protestant Reformation and are still organised and active, primarily in Italy, France, Spain, and Switzerland.

1 July, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations for Every Day

Moments of Silence

1. Such is the speed of modern life that many people forget God and do not even pause to think about themselves. Action is everything. There is no time for reflection, no time for prayer. Life has become mechanical and superficial, for nobody has the time nor the inclination to think about spiritual matters.

What is the result? Since men are not machines but living beings composed of soul and body, and are capable of feeling and of passion, their lower inclinations break loose and insist on being satisfied. In the absence of prayer and of all effort to lead a good life, grace is lacking to inspire the mind, to strengthen the will and to keep the heart pure. Rapid materialistic progress has accustomed men to accept as inevitable the most shameful falls. The absence of any kind of contact with God makes the soul the slave of sin.

Examine yourself. Perhaps you have not yet sunk to this low level of spirituality and are still capable of feeling remorse and the urge to do good. But you must listen for God's voice, and a certain amount of silence is necessary if His voice is not to be drowned in the tumult of the world. We are in real need of solitude, recollection and prayer.

2. Even though the Apostles lived in times which were very different from ours, they were asked by our divine Master to spend a little time in solitude and recollection. They had been sent by Jesus to preach in the villages of Palestine and had been successful in their mission. When they returned they told our divine Redeemer with some satisfaction what they had accomplished in His name and with His grace. They may have been inclined to boast a little, and it is quite certain that they had become spiritually dissipated as a result of their work. So Jesus said to them: “Come apart into a desert place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:21; Mt. 14:13; Luke 9:10; John 6:1)

We must take this advice also, for a certain amount of silence and recollection is absolutely essential. We should go on retreat every year and set aside one day every month for the same purpose. We need to spend at least a quarter of an hour every day in meditation, if possible a quarter of an hour in conversation with Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist or, if we cannot do any better, an interval of prayer in some other secluded place. If we have not been doing at least this much, let us make sure to do so in future.

3. Solitude and recollection will make our lives more peaceful and more purposeful and will enable us to co-operate with God's grace by striving to become more perfect. “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind,” says St. Paul, “and put on the new man, which has been created according to God in justice and in holiness.” (Eph. 4:23-24)

The turmoil of a purely external life leads to hardness of heart, tepidity and sin. Recollection and prayer place us in contact with God, Who will give us the grace to lead holy lives.

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 1 JULY – THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

IN LUMINE FIDEI: 1 JULY – THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD: O Blood of my crucified Jesus, dwell in my soul to purify it. O Blood of my crucified Jesus, dwell in my heart to inflame it. ...

IN LUMINE FIDEI: JULY – THE MONTH OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

IN LUMINE FIDEI: JULY – THE MONTH OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD: Like devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, devotion to His Precious Blood is one of the oldest forms of Catholic piety, and over th...

1 July, A Chesterton Calendar

JULY 1st 

The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one. A man ought to vote with the whole of himself, as he worships or gets married. A man ought to vote with his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when sufficiently provoked) with his hands and feet. If he has ever seen a fine sunset, the crimson colour of it should creep into his vote. If he has ever heard splendid songs, they should be in his ears when he makes the mystical cross. But as it is, the difficulty with English democracy at all elections is that it is something less than itself. The question is not so much whether only a minority of the electorate votes. The point is that only a minority of the voter votes. 

‘Tremendous Trifles.’

Chesterton, G. K.. The G. K. Chesterton Collection [50 Books] (Kindle Locations 44479-44485). Catholic Way Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

2 July, The Roman Martyrology

Sexto Nonas Iúlii Luna tricesima Anno Domini 2019

July 2nd 2019, the 30th day of the Moon,

On the morrow we keep the feast of the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth. 
On the same 2nd day of July, were born into the better life: 

At Rome, upon the Aurelian Way, the holy martyrs Processus and Martinian, who were baptized by the blessed Apostle Peter in the Mamertine Prison, and crowned with martyrdom under Nero by being slain with the sword, after suffering the beating of their mouths, the rack, thongs, cudgels, fire, and loaded whips. 
At Rome also, the three holy soldiers who turned to Christ at the martyrdom of the blessed Apostle Paul, and thus earned a share with him in the glory of heaven. 
On the same day, the holy martyrs Ariston, Crescentian, Eutychian, Urban, Vitalis, Justus, Felicissimus, Felix, Marcia, and Symphorosa, who were all crowned with martyrdom in the Campania while the persecution was raging under the Emperor Diocletian. 
At Winchester, in England, the holy Swithin, Bishop of that city, [in the year 863,] whose holiness shone forth in the grace of working miracles, and whose feast day we keep upon the 15th day of this present month of July. [His head was taken to the cathedral of Évreux at the end of the fourteenth century.] 
At Bamberg, [in Bavaria,] holy Otto, Bishop of [that see,] who preached the Gospel to the Pomeranians, and turned them to the faith, [in the year 1139.] 
At Tours, the holy woman Monegund, [about the year 573] 
V. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God.

conserv

California Senate Passes Bill That Would Violate Seal of Confession

This is a bit old, but I missed it last month. The attacks on the Mystical Body of Christ are ramping up . How long until full scale persecution?

From Catholic San Francisco

By CNA

 SACRAMENTO, Calif. – State senators in California have voted to approve a law that would require priests to violate the seal of confession. Senate Bill 360 passed Thursday by an overwhelming margin, with legislators voting 30-4 in favor of the measure.

The bill would require priests to report any knowledge or suspicion of child abuse gained while hearing the confession of another priest or colleague.

In a statement released Friday, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez said he was “deeply disappointed” by the result and insisted that strong child protection measures did not require the violation of the sanctity of the sacrament of confession.

A previous draft of the law would have compelled the violation of the sacramental seal any time a priest came to suspect abuse from any penitent. In a statement released Monday, Gomez acknowledged the changes but said that “no government, for whatever reason, should violate the privacy and confidentiality of that sacred conversation.”

“SB 360 still denies the sanctity of confession to every priest in the state and to thousands of Catholics who work with priests in parishes and other Church agencies and ministries.”

The sacramental seal is covered by civil law in many jurisdictions around the world. The “clergy-penitent privilege” is widely regarded as a fundamental exercise of religious liberty.

The bill’s sponsor, California state Senator Jerry Hill (D-Calif. 13), has claimed that “the clergy-penitent privilege has been abused on a large scale, resulting in the unreported and systemic abuse of thousands of children across multiple denominations and faiths.”

The senator has claimed that such abuse has been revealed through “recent investigations by 14 attorneys general, the federal government, and other countries.”

Despite the volume of investigations into the clerical sexual abuse crisis no data exists establishing or indicating the use of sacramental confession either to facilitate or perpetuate the sexual abuse of minors.

Critics of the proposed legislation have noted that sacramental confession between accomplices is invalid unless in imminent danger of death, as is the absolution of a penitent who intends to reoffend.

Andy Rivas, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, said Thursday California's bishops are committed to combating sexual abuse of minors and strengthening mandatory reporting laws, but "interjecting the government into the confessional is not going to accomplish that objective and could undermine the guarantee of confidentiality all of us depend upon." 

Rivas added the conference would “continue to work to protect confession for all as the bill moves to the State Assembly.”

Canon law describes the seal of the confessional to be “inviolable”, and priests are “absolutely forbidden” to disclose the sins of a penitent “in any way, for any reason.” Violation of the seal by a priest is a grave crime against the faith and is punished by an automatic excommunication which can be augmented with other penalties, including dismissal from the clerical state.     

Happy Dominion Day! God Save the Queen!

Well, it's 00.00 NDT in Newfoundland, so it's Dominion Day in Canada! For the youngsters among you who don't remember the real name, Happy Canada Day! Here's some music to celebrate the 152nd birthday of the True North, Strong and Free!

First the Royal Anthem, in honour of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.

O, Canada, in English, with the original lyrics, 'In all Thy sons command', not the bastardised ones Daddy's Little Boy wants people to sing.

O, Canada in French, with lyrics in French and English. I'm surprised Justin 'Bieber' Trudeau hasn't tried to Islamicise the lyrics to this version. 

And, The Maple Leaf Forever, the 'unofficial national anthem' for decades before O, Canada was adopted.

Not music, but the 'I Am Canadian' rant from the Molson's beer commercial. A classic!

And no Dominion/Canada Day would be complete without a mention of THE Canadian, Stompin' Tom Connors. Here is the last letter he wrote to his fans, just before his death.

Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, OC (February 9, 1936 – March 6, 2013) 

Hello friends, I want all my fans, past, present, or future, to know that without you, there would have not been any Stompin' Tom.

It was a long hard bumpy road, but this great country kept me inspired with its beauty, character, and spirit, driving me to keep marching on and devoted to sing about its people and places that make Canada the greatest country in the world.

I must now pass the torch, to all of you, to help keep the Maple Leaf flying high, and be the Patriot Canada needs now and in the future.

I humbly thank you all, one last time, for allowing me in your homes, I hope I continue to bring a little bit of cheer into your lives from the work I have done.

Sincerely,

Canada Day, Up Canada Way.

by Stompin' Tom Connors

Take Me Back to Old Alberta

I wasn't born in Alberta, but as I say, I'm a Kansan by birth, and an Albertan by choice.

Blue Berets, honouring Canada's
Peace Keepers

Believe in Your Country

So Long, Stompin' Tom

A song written by Mike Plume, a fan of Stompin' Tom's, on hearing of his death.

Swedes and the Reconquista

What could the Swedes possibly have to do with the Reconquest of Iberia from the Moorish Hordes who invaded through Gibraltar in AD 711? Well, pour yourself an adult beverage, pull up a chair, and I'll tell you.

At the time the Saracens descended on what is  now Spain it was occupied by the Visigothic Kingdom under King Roderick. And who were the Visigoths? They were Swedes with a severe case of wanderlust. 

The Goths originated in southern Sweden, from the area where the historic provinces of Gotland, Östergötland, and Västergötland (whence my grandmother came) are situated. During the Folkvandring (wandering of peoples = Migration Period) they got itchy feet and took off in a generally southeasterly direction, ending up in the Pannonian Plain (see the map, below).

There, they split into two major bands the Ostrogoths (Eastern Goths) and Visigoths (Western Goths), which has nothing to do with Östergötland, and Västergötland! Some of the Ostrogoths crossed the Black Sea into Anatolia. Others, and the Visigoths, wandered back westward into the main part of Europe.

In AD 410, the Visigoths, under their King, Alaric I, sacked Rome, where, in AD 493, the Ostrogoths under Theoderic would establish the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy. 

Having despoiled the Eternal City, the Visigoths moved on into Hispania. Here, they defeated the Vandals and the Suebi and established their own Kingdom.

Originally converted to the Arian heresy by Ulfilas, they accepted Nicene Christology around AD 589, under King  Reccared I, thus becoming the first Swedes to become Catholic!

So, in AD 711, when the jihad invaded the Iberian Peninsula, it was largely controlled by Swedes, 400 plus years removed from Sweden!

Don Pelayo

However, the Peninsula was not totally conquered. A Visigothic nobleman, Pelayo (Latin, Pelagius; Asturian, Pelayu) led refugees into the mountains of Asturias. In AD 718 or 722 he defeated the Moors in the Battle of Covadonga, thus beginning the Reconquista which 774 (or 778) years later, under the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, would finally expel the last of the jihadis from  Spain

And, that's how the Swedes started the Reconquista!

Memo to the Pan-Amazon Synod: The Gospel of Christ Doesn’t Preach Exceptions

The Editors of the NCRegister sound yet another warning of the dangers inherent in the upcoming Sin-od.

From the National Catholic Register 

By the Editors 

EDITORIAL: The evidence to date strongly suggests the October gathering is in danger of heading down the same road of damaging, unnecessary controversy as the preceding family synods — potentially to a much greater degree.

The proposal to ordain “proven” married men to address a shortage of priests was foreseen as a hot-button topic of debate for the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region in October, long before the publication of the meeting’s official agenda this month.

And, with the formal release of the synod’s instrumentum laboris (working document), the issue of married priests was indeed present as a potential problem, alongside other areas of concern, such as the document’s treatment of ecological issues and its distortions of inculturation.

But more fundamentally, alarm is being generated by the working document’s apparent intent to apply “local” Amazonian exceptions to Church teaching and practice on controversial matters, under the mantras of “synodality” and “decentralization.” As recent experience has indicated, such “exceptions” can afterward be exported to other geographical areas — thereby transforming a supposedly local exception into a more general rule.

To be held at the Vatican Oct. 6-27, the upcoming synod, titled “Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology,” is a regional one. Unlike previous synods under Pope Francis that brought together bishops from all over the world, this gathering is more limited in participation, comprised of bishops from the large Amazon region, Vatican officials, special papal appointees, and selected experts who work on the ground in the area.

This localization of participants has been justified on the grounds that it’s sensible to limit direct participation to those Church leaders who are intimately acquainted with the needs of the Amazonian geographical region. Perhaps that’s true, but critics note that it’s also highly convenient in terms of ensuring the predominance of synodal participants who support the hotly debated perspectives expressed in the instrumentum laboris regarding themes like the ordination of married men, the creation of an undefined new “women’s ministry,” the mandatory “teaching of indigenous pan-Amazonian theology” in all regional educational institutions, and the working document’s pronounced prioritization of ecological concerns over Christian evangelization.

Regional gatherings are not new in the more-than-50-year history of the Synod of Bishops. But unlike previous regional synods, the Pan-Amazon synod follows the contentious synods on the family in 2014 and 2015 that led to the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia in 2016, with its confusing eighth chapter that opened the door to reception of the Eucharist for divorced-and-civilly-remarried Catholics, depending on how local bishops in various parts of the world interpreted Amoris’ unclear guidance.

Indeed, at the family synods the issue of reception of Communion — unexpectedly specified as an issue needing attention by German Cardinal Walter Kasper in early 2014, and thereafter inserted into the synodal process by organizers despite the resistance of a large proportion of the participating bishops — overshadowed everything else under discussion. In effect, the push to obtain a controversial “solution” to a matter that was of limited concern to the large majority of participants became the most prominent focus of that entire synodal process.

Certainly the Amazon basin is an area of great significance, both in terms of its human population and its ecological importance, and it possesses some unique characteristics and problems that warrant local pastoral solutions. Unfortunately, however, the evidence to date strongly suggests the Pan-Amazon synod is in danger of heading down the same road of damaging, unnecessary controversy as the preceding family synods — potentially to a much greater degree.

If the instrumentum laboris is an accurate guide, Catholics can expect synodal recommendations to emerge in October supporting the ordination of married men, some kind of “official ministry” for women, the promotion of indigenous theologies with little consideration given to their underlying pantheistic character, and the advancement of one-sided ecological perspectives — all marketed as limited, regionalized solutions addressing the real-world and dire pastoral needs of “indigenous peoples and cultures.”

But are these innovations really intended to remain limited to Pan-Amazonia and not seized upon by those in other areas with their own agendas? The available evidence indicates otherwise.

Consider, for example, the synodal “study” meeting that took place in Rome shortly after the release of the working document. Cardinal Kasper and several other progressively inclined German Church leaders were a prominent contingent among the 30 participants at the closed-door, invitation-only meeting, which was convened under the auspices of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM). Also in attendance were Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the general relator of the synod and the president of REPAM, and Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops.

It should be noted that it was the German bishops who were the driving force promoting reception of Communion for civilly-divorced-and-remarried Catholics during the family synods.

Similarly, in the run-up to the Pan-Amazon gathering, leaders of the Church in Germany have been at the forefront of pushing for discussion of married priests, and Cardinal Kasper acknowledged that the issue was discussed at the closed-door meeting in Rome. It seems highly unlikely that the Germans envision that a local exception for married priests would apply only in the Amazon and not to their local Church, too.

This synod’s instrumentum laboris seems to be framed as a culmination of this pontificate’s focus on pastoral listening and accompaniment and its promotion of a conception of synodality that facilitates greater decentralization in order to afford local Churches more latitude to implement local solutions to their local pastoral problems.

Pope Francis has rightly been praised widely for his commitment to a comprehensive “pastoral conversion,” first articulated in his 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. It is indeed central for the life of the Church to have a listening, pastoral posture, but that is not the only posture the Church — and the Pope — must take.

Equally fundamental are teaching clearly and consistently in conformity with the Church’s magisterium and governing the universal Church clearly and consistently to ensure that it doesn’t disintegrate into an assembly of local regions with contradictory and incompatible doctrines and practices.

So, for the welfare of the Church and for the salvation of the souls that have been entrusted to its care by Jesus, exceptions can never become the rule, at the upcoming Pan-Amazon synod — or anywhere else.